Bees, technology, harpsichords and Halloween: October offers an array of campus events

10/4/2013

October is a bountiful month at Connecticut College, with a cornucopia of arts and events on campus. The following are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted:

• Now through Oct. 20: Faculty Exhibition, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m., the galleries of Cummings Arts Center. The Connecticut College Department of Art presents two unique exhibitions by two of the department’s newest faculty members, Assistant Professors of Art Nadav Assor and Chris Barnard. The captivating new show comprises Assor’s “Ruins of the Map” and Barnard’s “Engagement Party.” There will be an artist reception open to the public on Wednesday, Sept. 18, from 5 to 6 p.m., with an artist talk in the galleries from 4:15 to 5 p.m. For more information, contact the art department at 860-439-2740.

• Sundays: Free public tours of the Connecticut College Arboretum, 2 p.m., meet near the blue sculpture in front of New London Hall. The tours vary between the Native Plant Collection and the Caroline Black Garden. For more information, contact Kathy Dame at ktdam@conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 3: “Divine Authority and Holy War: Economies of Violence in the Emergence of Religion,” the Melrod Kraemer Lecture in Judaic Studies by Reuven Firestone, 4:30 p.m., Charles Chu Asian Art Reading Room of Charles E. Shain Library. Firestone, professor of medieval Judaism and Islam at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati and founder and co-director of the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement, will address the issue of religious violence in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He is considered an entertaining lecturer, even humorous on occasion, with a particular expertise in Jewish-Muslim relations. For more information, contact Sharon Portnoff at sharon.portnoff@conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 4: Connecticut College Arboretum Annual Mum and Pumpkin Sale , 11 a.m.-2 p.m., College Center at Crozier-Williams. The Arboretum will offer fresh and healthy pumpkins plus high-quality chrysanthemums in a wide range of glorious autumn colors not readily available in supermarkets. All proceeds benefit the Arboretum, which provides opportunities for teaching, research, conservation, recreation and public education. Cash, checks, Visa and MasterCard will be accepted. For more information, contact Kathy Dame at ktdam@conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 5: “A Taste of Honey,” a Connecticut College Arboretum workshop with beekeeper Kim Donohue, 10 a.m., Room 101 of New London Hall. Bees account for 80 percent of all insect pollination, but the commercial honeybee population has been dying off in the past several years. Donohue’s workshop will cover the lifecycle of these very important pollinators and social structure in the colony. Participants will get an in-depth look at a Langstroth hive, helpful information about beekeeping gear and tools of the trade, and some delicious honey samples. Registration is required. The cost is $15 for Arboretum members and $18 for the general public. To register, contact Kathy Dame at ktdam@conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 5: onStage at Connecticut College presents “Not What Happened,” 7:30 p.m., Palmer Auditorium. An intriguing new theater work by three-time Obie Award-winner Ain Gordon, “Not What Happened” is essentially a duet by two people who could never have met: the historical re-enactor and the real person whose life she re-enacts. Tickets are $24 for general admission, $21 for seniors and $12 for students. Before the performance, Gordon will sit on a panel with the town historian of Marlboro, Vt., the deputy executive director of Plimoth Plantation and a professor of history to discuss how history is interpreted and what choices are made by the interpreter. The panel discussion is at 3:30 p.m. in the Ernst Common Room of Blaustein Humanities Center. For tickets and more information, call 860-439-2787 or visit onstage.conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 8: “From the headscarf crisis to the cartoon crisis: Islam, globalization and Europe,” a Religious Studies lecture by Mark Sedgwick, 4:30 p.m., Charles Chu Asian Art Reading Room, Shain Library. Islam and Muslims were first studied by philologists and then, in the 1960s, were moved into area studies. Sedgwick, a professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at Aarhus University in Denmark, will argue that the time has come for a new approach, for recognizing that the area to be studied now includes Europe and America. For more information, contact Sufia Uddin, suddin@conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 8: Demonstration and lecture on early string instruments with luthier Karl Dennis and violinist Daniel Lee, an adjunct instructor of music at Connecticut College, 5:30 p.m., Cummings Arts Center Room 224. This event is part of the Dayton Early Music Series. For information contact Terry Wisniewski at tawis@conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 10: "How Smart Can We Get?" a Sound Lab Foundation Lecture by David Pogue, 7:30 p.m., Ernst Common Room of Blaustein Humanities Center. Pogue, columnist and blogger for The New York Times and host of PBS's “Nova,” is best known for his reporting on tech trends as well as on several subjects in the popular “For Dummies” series. Few people know that he came to New York to work in musical theater and only later became known as a techie. Pogue will combine these talents in a lecture exploring developing trends in smart technology. For more information, contact Ben Panciera at bpancier@conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 12: “Felting Fun,” a Connecticut College Arboretum workshop for children ages 4-10, 10 a.m., Olin Science Center Lounge. Felting is an age-old craft that may have started in the Middle East, and is still used today in many parts of the world by people of all ages. It is quite basic and requires very little experience or tools. Participants will look at wool fibers under the microscope, discuss other fibers such as angora, mohair, alpaca and silk, and make a wet felted ball to take home. Registration is required — contact Kathy Dame at ktdam@conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 14: "Global Warming and Andean Farming: Peruvian Farmers Speak About Community Solutions," 4:15 p.m., Ernst Common Room, Blaustein Humanities Center. Representatives from Quechua-speaking farming communities in the high Peruvian Andes will speak about developing an ambitious plan to recover, propagate and share 4,000 native varieties of potatoes among other indigenous communities and research institutes. As global warming intensifies, high altitude communities quickly suffer the affects, so these indigenous farmers draw upon and preserve traditional farming knowledge and technologies to give themselves and other farmers a wider selection of potatoes to choose from as they struggle to adapt to the movement of crops and diseases up the mountains as the environment warms and mountain-glacier-fed reservoirs shrink. This talk is sponsored by the College's Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity, the Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy and the International Commons. For more information, contact lgar@conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 15: Harpsichord Masterclass, 5:30 p.m., Harkness Chapel. Linda Skernick, adjunct professor of music, will lead a master class on the harpsichord, including a short talk on the history of the instrument and the music written for it. Demonstrations on the harpsichord, a Q&A and coaching will round out the event. For more information, contact Terry Wisniewski at tawis@conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 16: “Agricultural Sustainability and Climate-Change Adaptation in the Eastern Mediterranean,” an Archaeology Lecture Series talk with John Marston, 11:50 a.m., Room 014 of Olin Science Center. Marston, an assistant professor of archaeology at Boston University, will discuss past agricultural systems and their sustainability as parallels for contemporary environmental challenges and predicted climate change. For more information, call Professor Anthony Graesch in the Department of Anthropology at 860-439-2116.

• Oct. 16: “Musical Palette,” a performance by the Connecticut College Concert Band, Traditional Jazz Band and Jazz Ensemble, 7 p.m., Evans Hall of Cummings Arts Center. Director Gary Buttery leads the three ensembles through an array of music with a connection to the fall season. Some of the works to be performed include Sidney Bechet's "Petite Fleur," the Gershwin classic "Someone to Watch Over Me," Johnny Mercer's "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "October" by Eric Whitacre. Tickets are $5 general admission and $3 for seniors and students. The show is free to Connecticut College students, staff and faculty. For more information, contact Terry Wisniewski at tawis@conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 18: “Soul Mirror, Spirit Dance,” a music faculty recital, 7:30 p.m., Evans Hall in Cummings Arts Center. Faculty members including Patrice Newman on piano, Thomas Labadorf on clarinet and Theodore Arm on violin will be joined by baritone Maksim Ivanov and Heidi Henderson, performing solo choreography/ improvisation, on pieces like Schumann’s “Dichterliebe/ A Poet’s Love” and John Harbison’s “Variations/ Spirit Dance, Body Dance, Soul Dance, Dervish-Finale.” Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for students and seniors. For more information, contact Terry Wisniewski at tawis@conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 18-20: Fall Weekend 2013. The College’s annual gathering for alumni, parents and students is a weekend you won't want to miss. This year's program will mark the completion of the $211 million Campaign for Connecticut College. We're planning to celebrate in style. For a full schedule, see the Fall Weekend schedule.

• Oct. 19: A Ravine Walk with Beverly Chomiak in the Connecticut College Arboretum, 10 a.m., meet at the main gate of the Native Plant Collection on Williams Street. Chomiak, a senior lecturer in geophysics and environmental studies, will lead a walk through the ravine in the Arboretum’s Bolleswood Natural Area, one of the most picturesque locations on the College’s property. This will be a rugged walk, off trails and on uneven ground, so participants are asked to dress appropriately and wear rugged shoes. Registration is required — the cost is $7 for Arboretum members and $9 for the general public. For more information, contact Kathy Dame at ktdam@conncoll.edu.

•Oct. 24: "School Reform(?): the multiple and often contradictory meanings of school reform," a talk by Anthony Cody, Education Week columnist and a leading expert on education reform, 7:30 p.m., Ernst Common Room of Blaustein Humanities Center. The Connecticut College Department of Education hosts the annual meeting of the Consortium for Excellence in Teacher Education, a northeast regional consortia of liberal arts colleges and universities with teacher education programs. Following Cody’s talk will be a panel discussion on the topics he addresses, featuring Helen Gym, co-editor of Rethinking Schools and founder of Parents United, a Philadelphia-based parents' advocacy group; Robert Cotto, policy analyst for Connecticut's Voices for Children and a member of the Hartford Board of Education; and Thomas Scarice, superintendent of Madison (Conn.) public schools, one of the leading public school administrators in the country.

• Oct. 25: onStage at Connecticut College presents the Dublin Guitar Quartet, 7:30 p.m., Evans Hall in Cummings Arts Center. The Dublin Guitar Quartet (DGQ) is a one-of-a-kind classical guitar ensemble that occupies a unique space in the wider chamber music world: It is the first classical guitar quartet devoted to new music. DGQ has commissioned new works and adapted modern masterpieces from outside of the guitar repertoire, so audiences can expect an explosive, entertaining and completely novel concert experience. Tickets are $18 for general admission, $16 for seniors and $9 for students. Tickets for Connecticut College students are free with ID. For tickets and more information, call 860-439-2787 or visit onstage.conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 27: Annual Fall Foliage Walk in the Arboretum with Glenn Dreyer, 10 a.m., meet at the main gate of the Native Plant Collection on Williams Street. Set aside an hour to enjoy the beauty of the brilliant fall color in the Arboretum with Glenn Dreyer, the Charles and Sarah P. Becker ’27 Director of the Arboretum. He will point out the species with the most colorful foliage, and also explain a bit of the science behind the phenomena. Registration is suggested — contact Kathy Dame at ktdam@conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 29: "Liberal, Conservative, or Just Catholic? Religious Identity in a Pluralistic Age," a lecture by Paul Baumann, 7 p.m., Harkness Chapel. Baumann is the editor of Commonweal magazine and one of the most respected commentators on the Catholic scene. He’ll tackle questions including, “Are Catholics really fragmented into divisions, or do we actually share common ground?” For more information go to facebook.com/ConnCatholics.

• Oct. 30: "The Long Journey Home for Albert Afraid of Hawk," a lecture by Nicholas Bellantoni, 11:50 a.m., Room 014 of Olin Science Center. Bellantoni, the Connecticut State Archaeologist, will discuss the exhumation, forensic identification and repatriation of an Oglala Lakota, Albert Afraid of Hawk, who died while performing with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in Danbury and was buried in an unmarked grave. For more information, call Professor Anthony Graesch in the Department of Anthropology at 860-439-2116.

• Oct. 31: Dance Club Fall Performance with choreography by Connecticut College students, 7:30 p.m., Martha Myers Dance Studio in the College Center at Crozier-Williams. Select students have choreographed dance works from many genres for this performance. Tickets are $5. For more information, contact Aimee Couture at aimee.couture@conncoll.edu.

• Oct. 31: Halloween Concert with John Anthony & Friends, 9:30 p.m., Harkness Chapel. This College tradition has been moved back to 9:30 to accommodate trick-or-treaters, but as always, it will include some scary music on the organ as well as other selections to celebrate the 200th birthdays of composers Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi. The audience is invited to wear Halloween costumes and enjoy candy after the concert. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for seniors. Tickets are free to Connecticut College students, faculty and staff. For more information, contact Terry Wisniewski at tawis@conncoll.edu.